(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a user to see how his or her particular current human body shape would change with weight change. A picture is taken of the user's current body. Parts are selected on the body in the picture where change is desired in response to a desired weight change. Then changes are projected to the current human body image. This is accomplished by altering the picture based on pre-existing data on how body shape changes in response to weight change.
(b) The Problem the Inventor Addressed
According to statistics in 2013, 40 million people in the United States tried to lose weight. More than 70% failed. Of those who succeeded, 10% gained their weight loss back after one year. The biggest issue in the health and wellness industry is attrition.
Most weight loss programs deal with how to motivate individuals to get started on a health or weight loss program. However, most do not address the issue of retention and motivation.
Individuals are desperate for quick weight loss programs. They fall into a false assumption that a healthy fit body can happen in a short amount of time. They have an unrealistic expectation of what they can achieve and how it will look with their body shape. This leads to attrition that is a problem in the health and wellness industry. Individuals stay focused on goals and then fall off their health and weight loss course because they set unrealistic goals first, and then do not see results fast enough. Over 45% of Americans tried to lose weight in 2013. 38% failed and are now more out of shape and overweight, making their problem bigger.
The population needs to be educated realizing that there is a more realistic approach to body changes to losing weight. Many individuals go from one failed weight loss plan to the next spending thousands of dollars on a program that may yield quick results but not lasting.
Making lifestyle changes is the proven key to long-term success and the way this happens is for the individual to stay focused on his or her goals for a long enough time that he or she can begin to feel and see results. That is when the behavior begins to change. When results are achieved due to lifestyle changes, the individual is more likely to stay on course because he or she has slowly integrated the changes and remained focused. The individual will begin to feel better and have more energy. The end result is that the participant will begin to feel worse when they have not exercised or eaten right because their body has now grown to like the healthier lifestyle. This result is an overall lifestyle change.
(c) Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 8,891,839, issued Nov. 18, 2014 [patent '839] is an example of art that attempted to solve the problem. It is a computer-implemented method of creating indications of health risk and personal appearance for a person. Users begin by entering their current measurements, measurement goals, and current picture into the system, preferably by a website. The picture is segmented into body components, and each affected segment is morphed based upon the measurements, goals, and segment's responsiveness to weight loss in order to create a modified image representative of the use and a post-regimen condition.
The system analyzes the user's data and produces a customized fitness plan by applying a morphing process to the “before view.” The picture is sectionalized into body components which are highly responsive to weight loss and components which are less responsive to weight loss, and the amount of change in each body section is determined by a physiological tables and formulae. The resulting modified “after view” image is then returned to the user, preferably by online communications.
By showing members how they will look ten pounds thinner and giving them a plan on how to achieve it will generate a satisfied and loyal clientele. [Col. 3; Is. 48-82].
Patent '839 uses a fitness “profiler”. Users must enter into a website their measurement goals and a current picture. This system analyzes the user's data and produces a customized fitness plan to produce a “before view”. The picture is sectionalized into body components which are responsive to weight loss and components which are less responsive to weight loss and the amount of change in each body section is determined by physiological tables and formulae. The resulting modified “after view” image is then returned to the user. [Col. 3; ls. 15-30].
The combination of three-dimensional morphing technology with mathematical statistics is used to project that loss and muscle gain and to produce projected fitness out-comes. The user's input data preferably includes skin fold, circumference, height, weight, BMR, and activity level. By entering the client's measurements into a mathematical formula, the user's picture can be morphed into the desired outcome. The combination of skinfold and circumference measurement produces an accurate morphing outcome for each user. [Col. 3 ls. 20-41]. A problem with this method is that most individuals especially those not versed in human physiology are not able to supply the exact or even correct information requested in order to produce a true image of the individual's body. The method is one image and does not supply additional images to show a body shape change beyond the original goal.
The collected data is problematic because Applicant's studies show that the population does not know specific body measurements or even how to measure. Every individual has the opportunity to measure differently. There is a large differentiator if someone else is measuring or the individual is measuring himself or herself. The technology used to segment the body components and analyze fat and weight loss is based upon a mathematical formula [Co1.6; ls. 1-5].
(d) Inventor's Improvement [“Invention”] to the Existing Technology
The invention is based on clinically collected historical data of all body shapes, heights, weights, genders and all age groups. Individuals were measured at the site of an exercise or diet program. Eight data points were collected: two arms; chest; waist; abdomen; hip; and two thighs. They were re-collected every 10 visits or 6 weeks from the participating individuals for as long as the individuals continued in the program. This time period ranged from several months to several years. Results in weight loss, weight gain, muscle loss, muscle gain, and measurement change were all recorded for each individual by measuring the same data points for 15 years to the present by one individual. The data encompasses many thousands of data points. The data concluded that there are essentially four body types which are common and 99% of all body shapes fell into the four collected body shapes.
This historical data allows any individual to take a current picture in real time of himself or herself, set a realistic six week goal of weight loss or gain, and visually see (based upon thousands and eventually, in the future, millions of recorded body shape changes which match their particular body shape) how their body shape will look with set goal of weight loss or gain.
The invention shows that specific body shapes will gain or lose in the same ways. This calculation is based on collected data not a mathematical formula.
Included in the historical data are exercise and diet regimens that affected the outcome of the body shape changes. These results are also reflected in features of the invention.
The invention does not ask for the individual user's measurements yet supplies the measurements based on information from the picture of the individual user.
The invention collects and compares data collected results to actual results by taking another picture of the individual user at the end of a six week period. In the event that the individual user loses weight or gains weight then the invention will compare those results to projected results so that the invention learns the individual user's body and how changes occur in relation to weight loss or gain for their body shape.
This invention allows for on-going motivation for the individual user as he or she can continue to see change as his or her goals are re-set.
The invention's re-occurring data collection allows for a broader and more adequate change prediction throughout the entire population of the world.
The real data collected from the invention will also give a more accurate level of health risk along with decreased health risk by capturing real measurements of each body part in particular waist measurements.
Using collected real body data is an improvement in analyzing how a user will look with weight or measurement change than mathematical formulas. The invention is an improvement as it relates to motivating an individual use to stay focused on their health and wellness goal.
Algorithms have been created that can apply this data to a current picture which is also an improvement to a computer generated image offered by the related art.